1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stator for rotary electric machine, and a rotary electric machine using the stator.
2. Related Art
Recently, there has been a demand for downsized and high-power rotary electric machines for use as electric motors or electric generators.
For example, in the case of rotary electric machines loaded on vehicles, the space for loading such a rotary electric machine has been more and more reduced, while the output thereof has been demanded to be more and more enhanced.
Various types of rotary electric machines have been in use. Some of such conventional rotary electric machines are disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Nos. 2002-176752 and 2004-320886, for example.
Each of these literatures discloses a stator for rotary electric machine. The stator for rotary electric machine disclosed in each of these literatures has a coil formed of continuous windings.
In the rotary electric machines described in these literatures, three-phase stator winding is formed using twelve element wires. Accordingly, the stator is structured to have twenty-four element wire ends axially projected from the stator. Thus, when these element wire ends are connected, extra space is required in the axial direction of the stator, raising a problem of increasing the size of the stator in the axial direction.